Slumping Federer loses to Brands at Swiss Open

GSTAAD, Switzerland (AP) — His game inconsistent and his new racket not offering much help, Roger Federer lost yet again to a player way down in the rankings.

The Swiss star fell 6-3, 6-4 to Germany’s Daniel Brands in the second round of the Swiss Open on Thursday, the third straight tournament in which he made a startling exit.

Playing on clay and before home fans, Federer was troubled by the serve and big forehand of his 55th-ranked opponent.

“I wasn’t consistent enough in the end,” said Federer, who failed on five break-point chances. “He was serving well and I couldn’t do enough with my return.”

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Federer’s other losses in the past month were to No. 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky at Wimbledon and No. 114 Federico Delbonis at Hamburg, Germany.

The top-seeded Swiss is now ranked No. 5, his lowest in a decade since he started his run of 17 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon in 2003.

Federer saved a first match point by serving an ace when trailing 5-3, and a second in the next game with a forehand winner. Brands, who took a set off Federer in a second-round loss at Hamburg, then ended the 65-minute match with a service winner in the thin mountain air.

“For sure the altitude has helped me,” Brands said. “I served well and put pressure on him from the very beginning.”

The 31-year-old Federer was returning to Gstaad for the first time since he won the title in 2004 and where he debuted on the ATP Tour in 1998 as a 17-year-old ranked No. 702.

Federer rarely loses an opening match. This defeat ranks alongside that of his round-of-64 exit in straight sets at Indian Wells, Calif., in March 2007 to Guillermo Canas of Argentina, then ranked No. 60.

Federer was hoping to tune his game in Gstaad and Hamburg after his second-round exit at Wimbledon. After a three-week break, he returned in Hamburg, testing his new racket yet citing back pains that limited his movement. He lost there in the semifinals.

“I’m happy that I was able to play because I’ve had problems for some time now, already in Hamburg,” Federer said. “But it didn’t get worse during today’s match.”

Brands broke Federer to lead 4-2 in the opening set when he put away an overhead at the net. But the 26-year-old German closed the first set with two aces, among his 11 for the match. Federer immediately lost serve in the second set by netting a backhand volley and saved three break-point chances to avoid trailing 3-0.

Federer is to return next month at the Montreal Masters and then defend his Cincinnati Masters title before the U.S. Open begins Aug. 26.

Two other seeded players were ousted in the second round: Third-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia lost to Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-2; and eighth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain retired with a back injury against Victor Hanescu of Romania while trailing 7-6 (2), 3-2.